Those who love you the most
by MaryDavernStyles
Summary: What was I thinking when I accepted to do this school exchange? 6 months in Palos Verdes in USa, with a host I know nothing about except her name, Jenna Hamilton, in a high school I've only seen a picture of, Palos Hills High School. What am I gonna do of the next 6 months! (Rated T for language even if i'm not sure if it will be necessary. And sorry for the mistakes)
1. Chapter 1

_Prologue:_

_-Are you ready? Do I have to remind you that you are leaving this morning? yells my mother._

_-I'm coming! I answer her._

_My mother always has been the kind of person who can't help to hurry all the time, even if we have enough time. Well, it was either that, or either she was way too relaxed. I think the herbs she puts in her tea for headaches are for something in it. Fortunately, she hasn't drink her tea yet. She's too stressed for that. I put my laptop in my backpack with my book and I stop in front of the mirror. _

_-Are you really gonna leave looking like that? I ask myself._

_I take my hairbrush and I make my hair looks a little bit better. Yeah, a tiny little bit. I arrange my make-up but as usual, it looks horrible. Then I sigh, I take my bag and I join my mum downstairs. I quickly eat a bowl of cereals. But really quick or my mum will run out of her mind. While I eat, she puts my two cases in the car. Will I really have to hold them when I will arrive at the airport? Awesome._

_Once my breakfast's over, we get in the car and we lead to the Roissy Airport. This old and great Charles De Gaulle Airport. There is always a lot of people in there. Even on tuesday like today. Well, it's Paris. Then, I go with my mum to do… the things you do in an airport before ending in the plane, and clearly, I didn't get everything. One hour and a half later, a creepy voice sound in the loud speaker._

_-The passengers for the flight Paris-Palos Verdes need to reach terminal…_

_I don't have the time to hear the end of the sentence because my mother is already almost running to the plane with my arm in her hand. I see a few students of my school who take a part in the exchange with Palos Hills High School in United States. Going there for 6 months is quite cool but I'm kind of scarred. I've never spoken to the girl who will host me for the next 6 months. I hope it's gonna be alright… My mum hugs me before I get in the plane and makes me promise to use my special USA phone package to call her when I arrive. And there we go._


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapitre 1: Can we say that planes are shooting stars?_

_I proffer my ticket to the air hostess who gave me a big smile before showing me my seat. I sit down on my seat who fortunately is next to the window and I look through the window. I'll have a 6-hours flight to New York, one hour of break and something like one or two hours to Palos Verdes. I feel that someone sits next to me. The guy who just sits is in my high school but I've never spoke to him, even if he was with me in Latin. And to be honnest, I clearly won't start now. He's the knid of persons who believe they're better than everyone else and show it. And honnestly, I can barely stand him, him and his dumb behavior in class._

_-Hey! How are you? he says._

_Seriously? Where does he believe he is? I don't want to talk to him! Well, my reaction might be a little bit too excessive since he just asked me how I was but I can't bear him._

_-Well, I'm a little tired because I woke up at 5:30am. And you, how are you?_

_He nods with a big Colgate smile stuck on his lips. I don't know what is making him want to smile but I sincerely hope he isn't making fun of me internally. I sigh and I look back at the window. A creepy voice tells us to belt up before the plane fly off. Then, the hostesses make their little speech about security which seems to clearly annoy them. Afterwards, we can lose our belt. This belt was way too much tight and she started to cut my belly. I get up and I ask Mister I-think-I-am-the-best to let me pass. I really need to go to the toilets. Like really, really quickly. So I lead to those toilets. I only have two choices of directions; I can bet that the toilets are at the end of the plane and not at the front. Fortunately for my bladder, I was right. After spending a penny like the English would say, I get back to my seat, next to Mister Colgate-Smile. I sit down the most comfortably I can. I brought my laptop but without network, it's pretty useless. I could continue to type my fiction or my songs but I admit that fatigue of having to wake up at 5:30 am for an 8-hours flight and slackness win against my desire to write. And to read too because my book waits patiently for me to take it out of my backpack but I really have slackness to tip up. Too bad for you "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green. It must be the tenth time I read it but it's a awesome book! Well, I admit I cry every tears in my body at the end, even if I know that's going to happen. It's like the death of Rue, Prim or Finnick in the Hunger Games, it's just horrible and here I am with my little tears and my large packets of tissue. My favorite characters fall like flies and I'm fed up of it. What do authors think when they write their books? "Oh! That character seems really nice, readers will totally l-o-v-e him! What if I kill him?" I bet they are sadistic! Well, since I decided to have slackness, I have to find something to do. I look at the screen in front of me. It's tactile. I look at the movies they offer and I finally choose "Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters."I saw it at the cinema but it's amazing so it doesn't bother me to see it again. Moreover, there's Logan Lerman! Around 12 o'clock am, when I'm watching "LOL: Laughing Out Loud!"-this film, I saw it like ten times but it's still as good as the first time-, they bring us the lunch. I pout and Mister Colgate-Smile says "Ew!" of disgust. I admit it doesn't look very mouth-watering. A little pile of thread of red beetroot as starter, a steak of the size and the thickness of a saucer with around ten macaroni with a horrible sauce, and yoghurt with sugar. Let's just say I didn't want to eat it like really not. It's official, I hate meals in planes. To be totally honest, it's as disgusting as it seems. I finish my pseudo-meal and I watch another movie I've never seen this time "The King's speech". I have it in DVD at home but I've never had the time to watch it. Maybe because it wasn't a film which inspires me much but it's actually a pretty good film. _

_We arrive in New York and we have to change of flight, which is pretty epic in a New Yorker airport. But we all join our airport and we're gone again. After around six hours, we are at the airport. The teacher who come with us to Palos Verdes leads us to the minibus and we leave to Palos Hills High School. Here we are, I'm gonna meet my host family, the Hamilton._


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 2: I'm glad to meet you…_

_I get out of the bus with my bag on my back. I catch my two cases and I reach the others, waiting to be given to our host family. We peer at the crowd who's waiting in front of the school. There are some families… Well, I just hope they're not the Hamiltons. A girl comes nearer, she's in my class. _

_-So, do you know anything about your hosts?_

_-They're the Hamiltons but I don't know which family they are. What about you?_

_-The Kaplans but I don't know either._

_A woman, probably a teacher or something like that from Palos Hills High School. She's wearing a khaki cardigan who contrast with her flowery tee and her high-cut blue jeans. It's kinda… special as an outfit… She replaces her banana bag around her waist, arranges a lock of her blond hair behind her right ear and speaks into her megaphone._

_-Bonjour everybody! Bonjour dear French students! Welcome to Palos Hills. I'm Valerie Marks, careers counselor. If you have any kind of problems, you can…_

_A dark-red-haired girl comes to her, slightly annoyed. She takes the megaphone and a paper which I suppose to be the students-hosts list from Valerie's hands. She climbs on the edge of the little gate. Then she speaks into the megaphone._

_-Hi! I'm Tamara Kaplan, students' president. As Valerie… Hum Miss Marks was saying, welcome everyone. So, we are going to put you in your host families._

_She says some French names and the families come to them. Then comes the moment where she calls my name._

_-Eleanor Leyna!_

_I approach and she asks for the Hamiltons. At that moment, I just pray for them to be a good family. A girl with long straight brown hairs gets out of the crowd. She's wearing quite simple clothes and seems nice but I can be wrong. Her parents are with her. They look young and cool. They comes to me with a big smile on their lips. _

_-Hey, I'm Jenna, says the girl. But I think you've already guessed. _

_-Yes, I answer, laughing._

_She laughs back and introduce me her parents. Lacey and Kevin Hamilton. And they really seem nice. That's a good start. Everyone separate and reach home. The Seniors who host French students are exempt of lessons for the rest of the day. We go up in the car and we go home. It's not too far from high school. It's a nice house and it looks like the kind of houses you see in American TV shows. Jenna's father takes my bags and puts them in Jenna's room, where I'm going to sleep. Jenna takes me there so I can put down my backpack. Then, she shows me the house. It's not really big so the visit is quickly over. It's pretty nice and I like the decorations. Lacey offers me a piece of cake. Seeing Jenna's face, I don't know I should take one, but I don't want to make a bad impression on the first day so I take a piece of that cake. We go to Jenna's room where we sit on the bed. We talk, just to know more each other. I hope I didn't inspire pity with my English._

_-So, do you date someone in France? she asks._

_-No, well, yes if you except my relationship with my laptop which is pretty serious._

_She giggles._

_-In that case, I cheat on Luke with my laptop too, she adds smiling. Maybe you could find a boy here._

_-Who knows? Even if I didn't come here for this, why not._

_-Well, do you like music?_

_-Do you like breathing? Music helps me calm down. It brings me away from my problems._

_-You sing?_

_-Yes, I do. And I play the guitar, and I write songs also._

_-I can't wait to hear that._

_I don't have time to answer her, her mom calls us for dinner. So we reach the dining room._


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 3 : Made in the USA_

_We sit at the table with her parents. Her father smiles at me while her mother fills our plates. Pasta with tomatoes sauce._

"_So, do you like the house?" asks Lacey._

"_Yes, it's a very pretty house", I answer._

"_Aw! Thank you!" she says_

"_If you need anything, just ask", adds Kevin._

_I thank him and eat. It's okay, rather good.*_

"_You know", continue Jenna's father, "you can ask for anything: food, clothes, bath products, condoms…"_

"_Dad!" yells Jenna before I have the time to understand what he said._

_But it doesn't take long. Jenna's father, who I know since a few hours, said that there's no problem to get some condoms…Okay…I feel myself blushing. I don't remember ever being that much ill-at-ease._

"_What?" says Jenna's father, defending himself. "Sometimes, they're needed."_

_Worse and worse…To look at the ground is a good idea, isn't it? Yeah, let's do this. I stare at the floor, unable to look at them. What lovely shoes I have! Pretty black vans, a little used… Oh here, I've never seen them on that angle._

"_Kevin, stop!" exclaim Lacey. "You get Eleanor ill-at-ease."_

"_He gets everyone ill-at-ease!"retorts Jenna._

_Jenna: 1. Kevin: 0. I hardly swallow what I have in my mouth. At least, if there ever was ice between us, it's totally broken. Well, I would have preferred it to be broken in another way. We all finish our plates in silence. Then the conversation starts again at the dessert. We talk about France, my projects, my family, what I want from the exchange… I don't like to be the center of attention and here I am, propel at the first raw. _

_ After this pretty awkward diner, I take my shower. It allows me to get out the stress and the fatigue of the travel and the diner but also to relax. Then I lay on my bed, in the corner of Jenna's room, while she takes her shower. They asked me if it bothered me to sleep in the same room as Jenna. I said no but it was with Jenna or on the couch so it's a quickly done choice. I take my laptop out of my bag. It takes time to turn on but it always has been this way. I'll ask Jenna about the Wifi… I can't decently spend 6 months without Wifi which means without Facebook, Twitter, WeHeartIt and my series! I open Word and I start writing a sort of logbook of the travel which I promise myself to keep up-to-date._

"_1__st__ day: Here I am at Palos Verdes, California. The travel has been quite long but for the moment, it worth it. The Hamiltons are great… even if Kevin, Jenna's father, proposed me condoms. But well, the trip well started. I just hope it'll stay this way."_

_It sucks but it's just to keep a record. I would like to start writing a song but I'm not really inspired. The better way to make the inspiration run away is to look after it. But I hope it took the plane with me._

_ Jenna gets out of the bathroom. We take back our conversation where we left it. Music. She decides to show me one of her friends' music video: Jake Rosati. I love his style and his way to play the guitar. And he has an amazing voice. Damn it, I said I didn't come for this. _

"_He sings well, doesn't he?" Jenna asks me._

"_Incredible! I totally love his voice. He's in high school?"_

"_Yeah, he's a senior too. I date him but it was another time."_

"_That is?"_

"_Sophomore year. It's been a while. In the meantime, he dated Tamara, my best friend. You know, the president. But Tamara is a bit controlling and Jake couldn't handle it. They broke up. T created a fake account under Autumn's name, on who Jake has a crush. Then he discovered the truth. They fought and don't talk to each other since. In short, it's complicated."_

"_Wow! Seems so. Everything is always so complicated around there?"_

_I see her thinking. A lot. Uh… it doesn't really comfort me._

"_No…not with… Yeah it is…But…No actually… Yeah, you're surely right…"_

"_You're scarring me you know. Is a return ticket expensive?"_

_We laugh. Then we change the subject. I have the clear impression that the next months will be lively._


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapitre 4: First day, first step…_

_I open my eyes and the sun blind me by the slightly open curtain. I catch my phone… and I panic. 12 missing calls from my mum! I totally forgot to call her last night and I know she's totally freaking out. So I look at Jenna to see if she's awake and deduce that she isn't when I see her moving in her bed, eyes closed. I pick up my phone. I have no idea of what time it could be in France but my mother will answer anyway._

_"__Hello mum?" I say._

_"__El! You promised to call me as soon as you arrived!"_

_"__Sorry! Everything went very fast and I have… how can I say it…kind of forgot."_

_"__I know it. So, how did it went until now?"_

_Then I start talking to her about my starting stay at Palos Verdes and about the Hamiltons. She tells me about what happened in France since I left, that is not much. In short, my sister argued with my brother. I'm a bit disgusted that by my big brother, Olivier, who lives in Cambridge where he goes in university, is back in France while I'm gone but he promised to come in California so it's fine. I talk a little to my mother and I hang up. Then I wait for the alarm clock to ring. Jenna and I get slowly ready to go in class. I'm still tired because of the jet-lag. We take quickly our breakfast and we go to school. We lead to the lockers where Jenna puts her stuff. _

_"__You should go to pick up your schedule, I don't know if you'll have the same as me…" say Jenna._

_She takes me to the office where I get my timetable. I have some class in common with Jenna but unfortunately, some are different. Awesome. I just hope I don't get lost. Afterwards, we join Tamara, Jenna's best friend._

_"__Jenna!" Tamara yells. "We need to talk!"_

_Jenna seems septic. They speak about college and other things but I don't get everything. Si I talk to Erica, Tamara's correspondent. Then we have to go to class. My first lesson is Geography. It's strange. Not to have geography in English because I've already had this in European Section but having America centered maps and not Europe centered ones. I try to listen but I almost fall asleep on my notebook. Jenna elbows me to wake me up. Then it's my second lesson: math. But Jenna doesn't have the same lesson. I love my life! She accepts to lead me in front of the classroom before going to her class. A guy leans against the wall next to me, surely waiting for the door to open._

_"__Do you have class here?"I ask._

_He seems surprised that I talk to him._

_"__What? Uh…Yeah. I've never seen you in the high school before." He answers._

_"__I arrived yesterday."_

_"__Oh I see. I'm Collin Jennings."_

_"__I'm Eleanor Leyna, Jenna Hamilton's pen pal. Do you know her?"_

_His face distorts and he move aside. _

_"__I'm sorry…But I think that it's better if we don't talk." He says._

_"__Why?"_

_"__It's a long story. I prefer to avoid details. Let's assume that it's quite complicated between Jenna and I."_

_I don't really get that but if he says it, we'll do that. I may tell Jenna about this. Fortunately, the teacher arrives and we enter in the classroom. I never liked math. Well, maybe when it was coloring picture in elementary school but since, I rather hated that. Thus in English, I don't talk about it! I spend the whole hour doing little doodles on my notebook, hardly writing down the lesson. Afterwards, I have a free hour. I go to the hall and sit at a table. I have nothing to do and I'm really bored. Jenna is in English I think. I don't know anybody here and the French correspondent who are here ignore me. I'm not even sure they know who I am…I get a paper and I sketch some ideas for songs lyrics._

_You're just that little ray of sunshine that I need_

_You're that kind of light indeed_

_I want you by my side_

_I just miss you so bad_

_You don't have anything to hide_

_You just can't be mad_

_It's not really good but it's for my little sister. Not the big one with who I never stop arguing, the little one, who is just 5 years old, Cathy. Her real name is Catherine but it's too long. I don't think somebody really call her this way. And she calls me Ellie. It's weird because everyone calls me El. It's simpler and kind of conventional, like Cathy for Catherine or Jen for Jennifer. It's the kind of nickname nobody wonders about, it's natural. And yet, Cathy still sticks to her Ellie. I like it, it's just weird. That's when I hear some voices…_

_"__Who's that?" asks a first male voice._

_"__Jenna's correspondent I think. Enora as I remember or something like that," says another male voice. "I'd say it's a 7."_

_"__Are you serious? Nah… it's definitely a 10!"_

_I feel myself flushing. Are they really talking about me? Are they blind? It must be it. I raise my head and I blush even more. One of the guys is tall and brown-haired but I have trouble not to stare at the other one. It's the singer Jenna showed me last night, Jake Rosati. He smiles at me before going away. This day is weird. Suddenly Tamara sits next to me._

_"__Ew! If I were you, I'd keep my distance from him. It's for you, he can be a real jerk." She says._

_I prefer not to go on about that. Jenna already gave me some explications._

_"__Argh! I hate when people stares without saying anything. I mean if they want a picture or an autograph, just ask!" continues Tamara._

_I can't help but laugh and Jenna's best friend quickly do the same. I guess we'll get along. We talk about anything and everything like Jenna and I did last night. Then, all of a sudden, a voice sounds behind us._

_"__Oh! Look who's there, the best friend and the correspondent of Hamiltoe! Look at you! Seem like school in July, no class. No, seriously! Who dresses up like that nowadays? Losers' club?_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: I guess I'll see you again

/ sorry I'm late. Please forgive me :S And would you like me to give you avatars to show how I imagine invented characters? :)/

I raise my head to the voice. It's right out of a big girl as aged as us' mouth twisted of scorn. She's with a blond-haired girl as thin and tall as an asparagus. Tamara sighs. I don't why the girl is insulting us but it's clearly not the first time for Jenna's best friend.

"Would it bother you to let us alone, Sadie?"Tamara asks, rolling her eyes. Sadie has a fixed grin just before bursting out laughing.

"Uh, yeah it would." She answers and turns to me. "Do you speak English? Oh I'm sure you're as dumb as the people you hang with. Do…You…Un-Der-Stand…What…I…Am…Say-Ing?"

"Tu es quelqu'un de méchant et tu as ma pitié" I say in French. "And you? Did you get what I just said?"

In front of her confused face, I giggle. She yells of anger and goes away. I can't help but keep a smile on my lips. Serves you right!

"Well done!" Tamara says with a laugh. "What did you told her?"

"You're a mean person and you have my pity."I repeat in English this time.

Quickly, it's time to go to lunch. We lead to the canteen where we find Jenna. She's with the blond guitarist, Jake, and the other brown-haired one I saw in the hall. I learn later that his name is Matty. So, I can now say that Matty thinks I'm a 7 and Jake a , I won't actually say it, just to think about it make me blush. We sit on an empty table. I find myself sitting right in front of Jake and…well, it's kind of awkward. I can't look at him and he just doesn't stop talking, either to me or either to the others.

"So, what do you think of our school for now?" he asks to me with a smile.

"It's way bigger than mine and so much cooler!" I say.

"I bet we would say that about your school if we go." Jenna adds, laughing.

"Um… I bet you won't" I giggle. It's true my school looks awful compared to theirs. I mean, even the people look cooler. Suddenly, the loudspeakers call a meeting for the French students. So, I quickly finish my plate and I clean it. Then I go to the door, knowing I have to go. But I just end up running into someone. It's a boy. A…well…good-looking one. A brown-haired and ocean blue-eyed boy with such an angelic smile. And he is staring at me. Look, let me just say it: he was hot. A nonhot boy stares at you and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a hot boy…well. He smile and I can't help but smile back at him.

"I'm sorry." He says. "I'm Roman by the way."

"Did someone paid you or something?" I ask with an eyebrow up.

"What? No. What do you mean?" He answers…or asks, I don't know. He seems really confuse and I just answer with a cheeky grin.

"Oh nothing. It's just that hot boys don't usually come to me." I say. Then I realize that I just said and I blush. Oh god, I become so red I don't know if my face will ever recover its normal color. But Roman just laughs.

"Well, I do. And thanks for the compliment by the way."

"You're, well, welcome… I'm Eleanor."I answer, flushing again.

"You're one of the French students, right?" he asks. I nod and he remind me about the meeting. He comes closer.

"I guess I'll see you around anyway. Laters, Eleanor."

I barely know him but the way he said my name give me shivers. It's stupid I know but I can't help. Then, I rush to the meeting, hoping I'm not late. I sit next to a girl I've seen like once in my life. She's the kind of mean person disguised into a pretty little girl. She's like Flappy Bird, everybody hates her. I look for another place but I don't see one. Valerie introduces the program to us. We're going to have some visits of stuff around the town. And if we want, we all have a place in the French club. But to be honest, I don't think any of us want to go in a club to speak our mother tongue, I mean, we have our parents for that. So we leave the meeting without knowing anything new. When I find myself in the hall, in front of my locker, my eyes meet Roman's ones and I have a hard time not staring. Eyes contact is a dangerous. So dangerous. But so lovely at the same time.


End file.
